A Wimp in Shining Armour
by savourytrash
Summary: The entire team is frustrated when they get a case in Quantico that they can't seem to crack, but when Reid gets 'attatched' to one of the witnesses and the killer strikes again...How far is he willing to go to prove he can save his damsel in distress?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first crack at a CM fic, so I hope you like it. This chapter is just to get you acquainted with the circumstance, so, I apologize if it's a little slow. Oh, and, the only characters of my own are Jelica. The rest belong to the producers of the show.**

"There's nothing you can do." It was like a broken record, a death sentence repeated over and over in their minds. There might as well have been a flashing neon light above their heads reading 'failure' for all they cared. The car was completely silent as they drove back from their local police station. It was only worse that they had failed in their own town. It would be just their luck to have the next body be on their team. The one killer they couldn't catch. The one who didn't fit the profile. Years of hard work were useless in the face of him. Or her, for all they really knew.

Reid sighed, his nose still buried in the case notes. There had to be some loop hole. Something that they had overlooked. Something that they'd missed. Not that the whole team hadn't been living and breathing the case for the past week and been trying their best to get the guy. Nobody had been able to figure him out since they got the files and it was more than aggravating. Reed blamed himself. He was the one with the genius IQ. He should be able to figure it out at first glance. He was looking at it, it was right in front of him, he was sure of it. It was only a matter of getting tired enough to realize it.

There was a tug on his page, a hand lowering the file to the table. Rossi. Reid frowned and looked up at him, opening his mouth to quote the estimated number of cases ruined or unsolved because of police negligence. And then deciding against it once he saw the look on his boss's face.

"If anything, what this case needs is new evidence and a fresh pair of eyes. We all need a break. Sometimes, some cases just aren't solvable with the given information. We tried our best Let it go." He'd been saying that ever since they'd left the station, but his words fell on deaf ears. Rossi was the one least perturbed by the team's so called failure. Reid figured it was because he had no ghosts left to haunt him anymore, but he didn't bother to argue. He was no good at confrontation.

He stared out the window into the dismal, starless night, looking at the nice cookie cutter houses and freshly manicured lawns and thinking about the case. Their killer was probably in one of those houses, pretending to be like all the rest. Holding summer barbeque's with his neighbors and arguing with his teenage son about curfew. He had no idea what they'd missed. Perhaps they would never figure it out. Or, his worst fear could be realized and nobody would ever figure it out. It just couldn't happen. He couldn't let it.

But it wasn't so much for himself that he wanted to close the case as it was for Jelica. She was one of the victims. Surprisingly, she'd gotten away with only a couple scratches and bruises, but she'd been through an awful lot. She couldn't give them any description of her killer, nor had she provided them with any evidence. She blamed herself for their failure. He knew that sleep for her would be impossible until they caught whoever had meant to murder her. He remembered having to tell her she was still in danger all too clearly.

She'd been sitting in the witness interrogation room at the station- a nice room with comfy chairs, large one way glass and good coffee. She'd been in there for hours, repeating her story several times to anyone who asked. She was patient and she didn't get angry at them making her stay for hours on end. He had a feeling that it was just the fact of staying there that made her feel safe, and she didn't really want to leave. She was about Reid's own age, with black hair and soft blue eyes. She was timid, but friendly during one on one conversations, and didn't mind them poking around her purse, her house, her desk at work...She taught English as a second language at the local community center full time, and had led a fairly normal life. Until then, that is.

Two days earlier, she had felt a gun to her back in a subway station, and a man's voice with an extremely fake Russian accent had told her he'd shoot if she didn't simply act normally, not turn around and walk out with him. She did as she was told, but not before being clumsy enough to trip several people and attract too much attention to them to ever be able to get away with it. She hadn't seen him, and couldn't find anybody else that had, but at least there was one less body to be tallied. The worst was, a young, overzealous officer had shown her the pictures of the killer's other victims. They'd been bound, maimed, shredded to pieces with what appeared to be simply a dull glass blade and then he'd watch them while they'd bleed to death. The officer had told her he'd come back to finish what he'd started. Later, the man was severely punished, but the damage had already been done. There was no way that she'd be able to get that out of her head, no matter how many times anyone else told her it was improbable.

He had walked into the room, obviously deeply troubled, a file in his hands, not even looking at her. She was looking hopefully at him, tired and scared and hoping for answers. Her eyes were blood shot and puffy and her face was plainly tear stained. Even just looking at her made Reid feel insanely guilty about not being able to give her any kind of resolution. This was really one of the cases when you remembered it wasn't ever about the killer- it was always about the victims.

"Any news?" She asked.

"No, sorry. We're going to let you go home now. I'm sure you've been waiting to hear that all day."

"Did you get any other evidence? Was I of any help?"

"I'm afraid not...but don't feel bad. Eyewitness testimony is not usually very reliable anyway. We're officially off the case, though, so if you think of anything else or have any other problems call Detective Klein."

"Oh." She stood up to go. "That's too bad. The BAU seemed so much more professional. But, umm, I have a favour to ask?" It came out sounding more like a question than a statement. Reid finally looked up from his work.

"Yes?"

"Do you think that I could maybe...get a ride home?" She was obviously embarrassed at having to ask, her black hair falling down over her face to hide her eyes. He had the sudden urge to tuck it back, but instead he nodded.

"I'll take you. It's only ten minutes from here, right?" He needed air anyway, and the team didn't need his help packing up their gear to go back to the office. She smiled gratefully and followed him out to the parking garage.

Reid haplessly tried to make conversation as they rode the elevator down to the ground floor together. Anything to get his mind off of the time he and Morgan got stuck. He'd never really gotten over that, to tell anyone the truth. The stairs were better for your health anyway.

"Are you staying with anyone tonight? Like, in a hotel or something?"

"No, but my twin is flying in tomorrow afternoon, so I won't be alone for long. I think I can manage for tonight."

"You have a twin? We never-"

"Found any trace of Ange in my apartment? No, you wouldn't have. We're not terribly close, but she comes when I need her. I don't talk to my family often. My mother is...ill, so it makes things difficult sometimes." She shrugged.

"I'm sorry. I know how that can be...Wait, your twin is named Ange?"

"Yeah, our parents agreed on the name Angelica if they had a girl and, since they got two..." She laughed. "It didn't work out quite as well as they planned."

"I don't know. I think Jelica is a nice name." He said, without thinking. She smiled.

"Thanks. Yours is Spencer, right, Dr. Reid?"

Reid nodded as the elevator doors finally opened and he resumed breathing. Her high heels clacked in rhythm with his footsteps beside him as they walked to the car. He could smell her light perfume, exotic and friendly, and it was only then he remembered to be intimidated. It took him back to the eleventh grade, and crushing on all the pretty, popular girls who'd walk all over him. He'd never looked at a beautiful woman again the same after that year, which probably explained why he still had no semblance of a love life. In fact, the closest he ever got to anyone of the opposite sex was with his coworkers and...well, that was just out of the question.

"You sure you don't want to be dropped off at a hotel or something for the night?" He said as he got in the spotlessly clean vehicle. She got into the passenger seat beside him, shaking her head.

"Really, I'm fine. It's probably just because I've been told all day about how brave I was in the subway station and it's gone to my head, but, whatever works, right?"

Reid laughed. "But you were brave."

"If tripping snotty business executives with weekly salaries bigger than what I make in a year is brave, then I should really do it more often. I'm sure you've encountered more than your fair share of danger in your job."

"Sometimes." He admitted. "But I'm usually just on the paperwork side of things. The rest of the team is usually more involved in the action part of the job."

"So what exactly do you do? I mean, I figured you profile killers, but...You must be extremely exceptional at what you do to become a doctor so early in your career."

Reid blushed and grinned. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm really no more important than any other member of the team, though. I was just born a genius."

"Is that trying to be modest? Although I suppose you probably are a genius. How'd you ever get interested in murder and this kind of stuff? It must be gruesome..." Her voice became quieter as she thought of how close she had come to having a gruesome murder of her own. Reid felt guilty again.

"At times, yeah. But, you get used to it after a while. It sometimes seems like they aren't even human beings..." He cringed, realizing he'd just made it worse. "But I don't do a whole lot of that part. I'm just a profiler, not a medical examiner. My mom got me interested in the psychology part, but that's a long story..."

"Ah. I understand. I'm sorry."

"So, you work teaching English? What's that like?"

Jelica's face brightened. "It's a lot of fun, actually. It's hard work, but, I enjoy every minute of it. It's not like being a school teacher, where you have to grade things and make lesson plans and all that sort of thing. It's just...sitting around and talking to people, and being patient with them. It doesn't pay well, but I- oh, here we are. Thanks so much for the ride, Dr. Reid."

"Spencer. And, uh, I'm sorry."

She stopped unbuckling her seat belt and looked at him. "Sorry for what?"

"About the unsub. I'm sorry we couldn't catch him."

"Your team did more work than the entire police force combined, there's nothing to be sorry about. You'll catch him sooner or later. Just don't forget. I saw what he did to those girls. It was horrible...Thanks again, Spencer. Maybe we'll run into each other sometime." She hopped out of the car easily, closing the door and walking up to her house as if nothing was wrong. As if the entire Quantico police force hadn't been combing through her stuff all day. He had driven away only feeling worse than ever.

They were nearing the office. Only a few more blocks. Up a few flights of stairs. Finish up what they'd started and then he could go home. Relax. Pop a few sleeping pills and get her face out of his head. He fidgeted in his seat. Then, suddenly, everyone's pager went off.

Rossi took one look at his and ordered Hotch to turn the car around. "We've got a body!" It was a mix of excitement and anger. It was a good thing for them. A new body meant new evidence. That also meant that they hadn't done their jobs. All they needed was another reminder. Reid's heart skipped a beat. If it was Jelica he'd never forgive himself...


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry this one's so short, more will come in later chapters. Thank you to the one person who reviewed, and the several who added my story to their favorites! Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

It wasn't her. Reid wasn't sure it was entirely natural to feel so relieved. It was still dissapointing to find another victim on a cold, metal slab. You could barely get an ID out of her, her face was so mangled. But she fit the pattern. Black hair, tall, slim. She had been a student intern at the nearby hospital. He was getting closer and closer to home, quite literally.

Jelica was called in again, even though it was nearing nine at night. Reid offered to be the one to interrogate her. He had a feeling that she might appreciate not having another long string of strange officers asking her personal questions. There had been no evidence on the body. No real evidence anyway. The fingerprints weren't in the database- all that was clear was how he tortured his victims, and that left no traceable evidence.

Jelica was surprisingly smiling when he walked into the room. She seemed relaxed. Reid couldn't wrap his head around that.

"Hey. Sorry we had to call you in again. Emergency."

She frowned. "So...it's not what I thought is it? Is there another body? I thought you were called off of the case."

"We were. We thought the trail was cold again. Apparently not. Umm...Do you know a woman named Danielle Deshanelle?"

"No. Was she another victim?"

"Yes." Reid pulled out a sketch of her face and showed it to her. "Do you recognize her from somewhere? Often vict-...You may have seen her somewhere. She worked at a hospital, if that jogs your memory any."

She swallowed hard. "She looks familiar, but I haven't been to the hospital in ages. Is she foreign? I may have taught her...It's hard to say, I'm sorry. I really haven't been much help have I?"

"It's late. You'll probably remember more clearly in the morning once you've had some sleep. Studies show that at least thirty five percent of people suffer from some type of sleeping disorder and that alertness is fully restored once they get ten hours of solid sleep on a good matress, regardless of how long they've had it. Isn't that neat? I mean...er...I'm sorry. This really isn't the place. Erm..."

Jelica smiled. "It's okay. Sleep doesn't even seem plausible right now. I just can't get those pictures out of my head...How'd you know all that off the top of your head?"

"Identic memory. It's when-"

"I know what it is. And here's me talking about how _I_ can't get images out of _my head."_

_"Most people don't know what that is." Reid said, impressed._

_"Yeah. My great uncle had one of those, used to be very entertaining when Ange and I were kids. You know, listening to all his stories and stuff. But, I digress. Is there anything else?"_

_"Yeah, I know you've been asked this before, but, have you noticed anyone around your place, your work? Anyone who just seemed to look at you for a little too long, that sort of thing?"_

_"I'm sorry, I'm not too attentive to stuff like that. I hadn't noticed anyone in particular, unless some guys from the construction site by my work count at all."_

_"Construction site?"_

_"Yeah. I walk to work, so I go past it every day. There's a bunch of men who work there, they always find a moment to pause and, shall we say, 'compliment' me? But I doubt that'll help you."_

_"Any lead we can get helps. You may just have made our case, you never know." He smiled, encouragingly. She smiled nervously back._

_"Umm, can I ask you a question?"_

_"Sure. What is it?"_

_"What that officer said, about him stalking me and trying to kill me again...Is that true? Tell me the truth, please. Do I need to be on my guard?"_

_"Not that we know of, although...no. It doesn't fit the profile. He wouldn't come back. I wouldn't worry about it. Don't listen to that officer- he had no idea what he was doing." Reid grew frustrated at the thought of such a bozo handling such a delicate case. Suddenly, he had an idea._

_"Hey, do you want to...um...Maybe, if you wouldn't mind, just...You know...er..." He stammered, blushing more at how inarticulate he'd become rather than the fact he was actually asking her out._

_"Yes?"_

_"Do you want to go grab something to eat? Together? I mean, not eat the same thing together, but, eat...with me...in the same vacinity?"_

_Jelica smiled and giggled a little. "I think I might be able to handle eating in the same 'vacinity' as you, Spencer. I'd love to go get something to eat. Can we?"_

_He perked up a little, grinning. "Yeah. I saw a diner a couple blocks away from here. I'm starving, and I bet you haven't eaten yet today." Then they both promptly stood and walked out into the night, not thinking of the danger._

_"Thank you. I really needed to get out of there. The walls begin to close in on you after a while. It's so frustrating not being able to help at all. He barely even touched me, I can't recognize his voice..." She sighed. "But I don't need to describe frustration to you."_

_Reid smiled. "No. But we'll catch him. You don't have to worry about a thing. You're doing as much as you can, which is more than most of our witnesses do."_

_"Thanks. But, let's not talk about the case any more. Just for a half hour? What kinds of things do you like to do in your spare time?"_

_"Spare time?" Yeah, right. Since when did he have spare time? He was lucky to get a full eight hours of sleep between work and what work he took home with him. "Well, nothing unsual really. I don't go out to a lot of parties or to restaurants with friends or...I just basically sit at home and read, or, watch tv, or play online or something. Making up for a lost teenagerhood I guess."_

_"I don't think anybody would really rather do anything different on most occassions. I don't go out a lot either. I spend a lot of my time taking self-help language courses, and then do all the stuff you do, really. It's not a very exciting life, but, you've seen everything about me already." _

_"I did notice you like playing FFGAKASLKAA."_

_She nodded. "Yeah, that's a bit of my guilty pleasure. You like it too?"_

_"I always find it fascinating, the dynamics between the Hyro breed and the warriors, because it's such a strong metaphor for a hate to love kind of situation, the way they- I'm sorry. I don't want to bore you with all that stuff."_

_"No. That's okay. Go on, it doesn't bore me in the least." She smiled and Reid looked at her. The first person who actually didn't tell him to shut up when he started rambling like the geek he was. He was starting to really like her. Really, really like her. They went into the diner together talking like old friends, and only left once they were kicked out for closing time._

_Jelica smiled as he walked her to her door. Reid was secretly very pleased with himself. He'd gone on an actual almost date. With a girl. Whom he'd asked out himself. Whom he didn't have to beg, and did not look like a toad. Man, was that going to his head or what?_

_She unlocked her door and slowly stepped inside. "Thanks a lot Spence. I needed to get my mind off of-" Her face suddenly paled as she looked down to where her mail fell through it's slot._

_There was a letter. No return address, with only her name written on it. She picked it up. It smelled of copper and her name was in red ink. Or was it really ink? She handed it to Reid, who opened it without hesitation. He scanned it quickly, and then looked at her._

_"What does it say?"_

_"Something to the effect of, 'I'm going to hunt you down and kill you'. I'll spare you the details. You're going to have to come back with me."_


End file.
